Strange Occurances
by sierra desiree
Summary: STALLED What would have happened if Serena had been born as a guy? Just a thought I had. Please read and review.
1. A Moon Star is Born

A/N: This is just something I decided to have fun with one day. I'm posting it to see if anyone would actually be interested in reading it. So please review and let me know. Reviews will inspire me to write another chapter. 

This may seem familiar to you, yes it does follow the first episode pretty closely. If I do continue it only the most important events will follow the anime, with extra chapters in between.

Anyway, enough of that… 

Disclaimer: Sailormoon does not belong to me.

Chapter 1 - "A Moon Star is Born"

The annoying sound of the alarm clock drove Ryan from the dream he had been having and into reality. With a half asleep, muffled moan, he threw his arm to the bedside table and knocked the offending clock to the floor, where it continued to blare. 

"Drat," he muttered. Finally, the sound pulled him out of bed so that he could grab the clock and hit the off button. Reluctantly he turned it over to look at the time. The red digits on the display read nine thirty-one. It took a moment for his sleep-muddled brain to make sense of the numbers but when he did...

Suddenly the sluggishness of sleep was gone and Ryan was a whirl of energy. Socks and underwear were pulled out of the drawer and onto his body. Pants were next, followed by a shirt that he buttoned up as he ran out of his bedroom door. From the front closet, he grabbed his jacket and was slipping his arms into it, at the same time as he jammed his feet into his shoes. 

"Mom!" his voice rang through the house, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I did Ryan," was the answering reply, "Three times."

"Oh," was all Ryan could manage as he messed with the tie that was not cooperating. When that finally worked, he ran quick fingers through his hair and with a quick glance in the mirror saw that he was presentable. "Buy Mom, gotta go."

He was halfway out the door, bookcase in hand, when his mother's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked from where she stood in the kitchen doorway.

Ryan looked back to see his mother leaning against the doorframe, his lunch dangling from her hand.

"Oh yeah." Running back in he swept up the lunch bag, gave his mom a kiss on the cheek in thanks and was back out the door. Ilene could only shake her head as her son bolted out the door yelling as he went, "Thanks Mom, see you after school."

Feet thudded against the pavement as Ryan raced down the street. "Why, why did I have to be late again? And why, oh why, couldn't today have been Saturday," Ryan yelled in frustration as he ran. He was running by a small parking lot when voices distracted him from his headlong rush to school.

"Hold it still, I'm trying to feel its tongue," one of the young voices said just before Ryan turned the corner. The sight that met his eyes filled him with anger. Two young boys had a poor black cat held firmly between them while a third attempted to pry open its mouth.

"Hey creeps," Ryan yelled as he booted it towards them, "Leave that cat alone."

At the sound of his voice, and the anger contained within it, the three boys dropped the cat and scattered. Ryan was about to chase after them but thought better of it when a came up beside the feline. Instead, he sank to both knees on the cement, laying bookcase and lunch on the ground beside him. Picking up the cat he gently flattened the hair it had raised in fear, soothing the creature.

"Are you okay, you poor thing." There was a brief silence, which Ryan broke by laughing at himself. He had actually been expecting an answer. "Of course you are," he ended up answering himself, "Let's just get this bandage off of your head."

Carefully, so as not to pull the cat's hair, he pried off the Band-Aid. When it was off, he was surprised to see not black hair, but rather a gold crescent moon underneath the bandage. "What the heck," he muttered. The question was repeated, though a little more loudly, when the cat squirmed out of his grip and did a neat little back flip onto a nearby car.

Just as he was marveling at the abilities of the creature in front of him, Ryan remembered where he was supposed to be at that particular moment in time. "Oh crap," he exclaimed, "Now I'm really going to be late." Grabbing his book bag and lunch he was once again racing down the road.

The black cat stared after the boy as he raced away, her eyes wide in confusion. There was no way. It was not possible. This _boy_ was the one she was looking for?

Ryan arrived at school long after the second bell had rung and he very reluctantly headed down the hall to his first class, which was almost half over. His first knock on the door was too quiet to be heard and as he knocked a second time he found himself hoping that Miss Haruna had had a great date the night before. Just possibly, if she had, he wouldn't get detention.

But his luck was just not that good today, it would seem. The scowl on the teacher's face when she answered the door was not a positive sign. In fact, he would be lucky to get only one-hour worth of detention. 

Miss Haruna raised a single hand and pointed a single finger down the hall. "Go sit in front of the office for the rest of the period. Then come see me after school for your detention." Ryan turned back the way he came and trudged down the hall to obey.

The rest of his classes went much better than the first but they actually flew by too fast and too soon he found himself once again standing outside Miss Haruna's door.

His timid knock was answered this time by a singsong voice biding him to come in. He entered to room to find Miss Haruna was speaking on her desk phone and the smile on her face was a very pleased smile. Unfortunately she grimaced when she saw him and excused herself from the phone call for the moment. Covering the mouthpiece with one hand, she handed him a piece of paper covered in a multitude of red marks. Taking the paper from her Ryan noticed that the largest red mark was a thirty percent grade, circled in the middle of the page.

"Get it signed and return it," Miss Haruna ordered. Then she turned her chair away from him and went back to her phone call.

Gripping the failed test in a tight fist, he walked out of the school to find his two best friends, Molly and Melvin, were waiting for him at the curb.

"Hey Ryan," Molly called, waving him over, "You got out of that detention really early. I thought you be in there for hours this time."

Ryan shrugged. "Miss Haruna was on the phone with her boyfriend."

His friends nodded, as if that explained everything, and when it came to their teacher, that did explain everything. 

Upon reaching his friends, Ryan sank to the curb beside Molly with a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong? You should be happy; no detention today," Molly said.

Waving the paper in his hand as explanation Ryan said, "My mom is going to kill me."

Molly snatched the paper out of his hand so that she could see the score. With a shrug, she handed it back to him. "Don't worry about it so much. Come to the mall with me. By the time you get home your mom will have forgotten all about that stupid test."

"The mall!" Melvin exclaimed, "He doesn't need to go to the mall. He needs a tutor. I'll tutor you Ryan. I need to study more anyway. I only got a ninety-five percent."

Ryan smiled and rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the offer Melvin. But as much as I dislike the mall I'd rather go there than study anymore."

"Okay," Melvin said, "I'll see you tomorrow then." With that and an abbreviated wave, Melvin turned and headed home.

"Come on Ryan," Molly beckoned, "I'll buy you some ice cream to cheer you up."

Already the test and its grade was forgotten in his back pocket as Ryan jumped up to join Molly. "Sure, as long as it's double chocolate."

It was with ice cream in hand that Molly and Ryan arrived at Molly's mom's jewelry store in the mall. They found it in a very strange state of being completely packed. Over the dim of the customers, they could hear Molly's mom.

"Diamonds, rubies, sapphires! Everything is on sale. Feel free to try on anything ladies. Try on everything!"

"Molly, what is going on?" Ryan asked from where they had stopped just inside the door.

Molly looked around the store in wide-eyed astonishment. "I have no idea. But my mom sure is acting strange."

"Yeah. What did she put in her coffee this morning?" After a moment longer of looking at the crowd, Ryan finally remembered the test in his pocket. Pulling it out he sighed. "Well, I guess I better go show this to my mom. See you later Molly."

"See you Ryan. And good luck," Molly called after him as he left the room.

As he walked down the street, dragging his feet and delaying the moment when he would have to turn the test over to his mother, Ryan tried to think of a plausible explanation for failing. Groaning in frustration he forced his fingers through his semi-long golden hair, pushing it back from his face only to have it fall back into his eyes almost immediately. Finally, he admitted defeat. There was no way his mom was going to believe he had even made an attempt at studying for this one. Between his two hands, the test quickly became a small projectile. "There is no way I can show Mom this thing!" With that, he turned around and whipped the crumpled paper at the nearest garbage can. Only to watch it bounce of the rim and settled to the ground.

"Nice throw," a voice said from behind him, "But it looks like you may have to work on your aim."

Ryan turned around to see a tall man with tousled black hair and eyes hidden behind black sunglasses standing by the doors to the arcade. Shrugging he bent over to pick up the test. Stuffing it back into his back pocket he said, "Yeah, well, it's a good thing I'm not trying out for the basketball team then."

"Guess so," the man said. Ryan was about to walk away when he added, "By the way, my name is Darien."

"I'm Ryan," he replied.

"Well, see you around," Darien said, then turned and entered the arcade.

Once again on his way home, and once again dragging his feet, Ryan came across yet another distraction in the form of a poster in a video store window. The poster consisted of a tall slender woman dressed in an abbreviated sailor suit, one hand on her hip, the other held up in the 'V is for victory' symbol. Above her head were the words 'Sailor V - The Movie'.

"Oh man. I wish my life were as cool as hers. Being able to fight bad guys every day would be great." Ryan dug his hands deep into his jean pockets and sighed when they came out empty. "But I can't even afford to see the movie." After staring at the poster a moment longer he chuckled and muttered to himself, "But if I were to fight evil I would definitely not do it in an outfit like that." Then he spun on his heel and continued toward home.

What he didn't see was the small black cat that was watching him from behind a sign in front of the next store. The black cat stepped out from her hiding spot to follow Ryan. Under her breath she muttered in amazement, "I can't believe it. This boy, he's the one."

Ryan carefully turned the door knob to his front door and slowly pushed open the door. Maybe if he was lucky his mom wouldn't even know he was home.

"Hi honey. How was school today?" 

Damn, no such luck.

"Fine," he answered, still trying to get up to his room before she remembered....

"So, how did you do on your Algebra test today?" Ilene asked as she stepped into the hall from the kitchen.

"Algebra test?" Ryan squeaked, trying to play dumb.

"Yes, algebra test," Ilene said, the warning clear in her voice, "The one you studied so hard for, with Melvin, at the library."

Ryan's shoulders slumped. "Oh, that algebra test"

"Well, how did you do?"

He couldn't help it, Ryan started to fidget. His fingers pulled fuzz that wasn't there off of his school uniform and his toe dug at the floor. He did it even though it would immediately give away the bad news to his mother. "Well, you see, I, um... Well, I..."

"Let me see it," Ilene demanded, holding out her hand.

Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled, and now torn, test paper and smoothed it out before handing it to his mom. Thinking the whole time that he did it that he had just signed his own death warrant.

"Thirty!" Ilene's voice raised in pitch as she waved the offending test in her son's face. "Thirty! I thought you said you studied! You know what you need to do!"

Ryan didn't even dare to attempt an answer.

"You need to go back to the library and study for a make up test!" With her last words Ilene pushed her son out the door, slamming it behind him. Ryan could hear the bolt slide home as she locked him out.

"Damn," Ryan muttered, kicking at the front step. He had known she would be mad but it wasn't often that she got mad enough to lock him out of the house. After a moment of staring at the front door, willing it to open, he became convinced that she wasn't going to relent this time. So, lacking any other options, Ryan set out for the library.

It was a few hours later that Ryan sat back up in his bedroom watching the sun as it set over the rooftops of Tokyo. With a sigh he fell back onto his pillow, an arm flung up to cover his eyes. "Studying is tiring," he said to no one in particular, "It can't be good for a person."

Sleep was just about to steal him away from reality when he heard his window creak open and felt a weight land on his bed. Sitting up in surprise he backed up against the head board. "Holy crap, you scared me. What are you doing here?"

Before him, standing on the foot of his bed, was the black cat that he had saved that morning. This time he actually received the response that he waited for.

"Why Ryan," the cat, obviously female, said as she stepped towards him, "I came to see you of course."

Ryan actually relaxed at the sound of her voice. "I definitely studied too hard. My dreams are never this weird."

The cat tipped her head to one side, studying him. "What are you talking about?"

"Your talking. Your a cat. Cat's don't talk. So, obviously, I'm dreaming."

"You are not dreaming," she insisted. Clearing her throat, the cat started into a speech that she had clearly been practicing, "My name is Luna. I have been searching for you for a very long time. It is my duty to lead you on the path to your ultimate destiny." Luna looked at Ryan for a moment, her gaze wondering down, then back up, his frame before continuing. "I wasn't sure if it was you the first time we met, but I've been watching you and I am absolutely certain that you are," she paused for effect, "the Sailor Scout of the moon."

"Definitely dreaming," Ryan sighed.

Luna shook her head, frustration clear in her words, "You are not dreaming. You are Sailormoon and your friend Molly is in trouble. I'll prove it to you." Without waiting for Ryan to respond Luna launched herself straight up into the air, performed a perfect back flip, then landed in the exact spot she had preciously occupied. Laying on the bed in front of her was a watch. "Take it," she said, swatting it towards Ryan with a paw, "It's yours."

Ryan gingerly picked up the watch by one of the black straps. He found that the face, instead of containing numbers, or even hands, like a normal watch, had a crescent moon pictured underneath the glass. In place of the numbers three, six, nine and twelve were four small jewels, each in a different color. There was a red, a green, a blue, and a yellow. "Luna, this watch is broken. There's no hands, you can't tell time with it."

Luna smiled. "It's not actually a watch. It is your transformation tool. Sailormoon is a warrior who's destiny is to defend the princess, and defend the earth from evil. You must fight, it is your destiny."

Ryan looked from the black cat sitting on his bed to the wrist watch he held in his hand. "You want me to do what?" he asked

"Hold the watch up and say 'Moon Prism Power,' Luna told him. To herself she added, "Hopefully it will work."

"What was that?" Ryan asked without taking his eyes off of the watch.

"What? Oh, nothing."

But it hadn't been nothing. Ryan had clearly heard the muttered words. Hopefully what will work, was his thought. The next was, what am I getting myself into? as he held the watch up over his head and spoke the three words.

Bright lights filled his room. forcing Ryan to shut his eyes or be blinded. He could feel movement but really didn't want to open his eyes. Especially since some the movement shouldn't have been possible. He could feel his legs lengthening in proportion to the rest of his body, and his waist thinned. When the room stopped spinning he stood in the middle of it and refused to open his eyes and look.

After moments of silence it was Luna's very quiet and shocked, "Oh dear," that forced him to open his eyes and spin on his heel to look into the full length mirror on the closet door. When his eyes landed on the reflection they widened in shock. His breath escaped his lungs with an undignified squeak and he stumbled backwards until he tumbled onto the bed, nearly landing on Luna. he couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him.

He was a she.

Standing back up she examined herself in the mirror. Her short blond hair had grown out until it brushed the back of her knees and arranged itself up into two ponytails extending from buns on either side of her head. The front of each bun was covered by a red disk rimmed with gold.

She skipped over her face, her gaze taking in her long and slender neck, around which was a red choker. Her neck flowed into the small shoulders that had replace the wide shoulders Ryan had yet to grow in to.

Her pajamas had been replace by a sailor suit, consisting of a skin tight, white bodice with short sleeves. There was a red bow centered on her chest and another nestled in the small of her back. The bottom half of the outfit was an extremely short red skirt. It took her a moment to realize why the line of the bodice looked strange. Then it hit her. She had boobs!

Gently she poked one with a finger that was encased in a white glove up to her elbow. She watched as they bounced once.

"Yup, they're real alright." As soon as they words were spoken one gloved hand flew up to cover her mouth.

Had that been her voice. Instead of the low voice with the occasional crack that she was used to it had been higher and sweet to the ears.

Getting over the shock of her voice her eyes continued down her body to her legs. And kept going down and down and down.

"Holy crap," she muttered, "These legs are long!"

From just above the knee down those long legs were encased in red boots with low heels.

Finally she gathered up the courage to look at her face. Small chin lead up to full lips, the pert nose and high cheekbones. Last she met her eyes in the reflection and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Staring back at her were the same azure blue eyes that stared back at her every day.

"I'm still me!" Ryan exclaimed, relief evident in her voice.

"Well, of course you are!" Luna said, but Ryan continued as if she hadn't heard a word.

"And man-o-man," she said, gazing at the mirror, "Am I hot!"

Luna sighed in exasperation. "Sailormoon, you weren't given this ability so you could gaze at yourself in the mirror. Your destiny is to..." Luna's lecture was interrupted when the red disks on Sailormoon's buns began to flash and a small voice filled the room.

"Help me, oh, somebody please help me!"

Sailormoon's eyes widened in fright. "That was Molly! I have to help her!" Before Luna could speak the slight girl had flung herself out of the still open window and into the night. It didn't take Luna long to recover and she was almost immediately out the window following her charge.

Luna caught up to Sailormoon as she turned the corner at the end of the block. "Where are you going?"

"Molly's mom's jewelry store."

"How do you know that's where they are?"

Sailormoon looked down at Luna, an expression of confusion on her face. "I don't know how I know, I just do." Then the time for talking was past and Sailormoon found a new reserve of speed, taking off down the street to the mall.

She arrived at the jewelry store just in time to see a gray, skeletal monster grab hold of Molly. As she watched, Sailormoon could see Molly grow weaker, almost as if the energy was being sucked out of her.

"Let her go!" Sailormoon heard her voice ring out with authority.

That gray skull, barely covered by the skin stretched over it, turned right around on its neck to look at her. "And who would you be?"

"I am Sailormoon, the champion of justice. On behalf of the moon, I will punish you!" She ended the speech with her feet spaced shoulder width apart and one slender finger pointed at the villain. "_Note to self, never do that again_," Sailormoon thought as she shifted her stance to something a little bit more normal.

The monster continued to stare at Sailormoon. "Never heard of you." Then her attention shifted from the blond before her to the fainted bodies that littered the floor around her. "Arise," she told them, "Arise and serve the Negaverse."

Slowly, struggling to stand despite being unconscious, the bodies began to rise and move toward Sailormoon. They fanned out, maneuvering to trap the heroine in a corner.

"I don't think so," she muttered.

The track she had been in all her regular life came into play as she positioned herself, took a few running steps, then jack knifed over the crowd as if there were a high jump bar above their heads. She sailed higher and farther than she ever had before and was marveling at the feat before her boots even hit the floor. It was this, combined with the fact that she was awkward in her unfamiliar girls body that caused her to twist her ankle and crash to her knees.

Her breath hissed in between her teeth as she fought to stifle the cry of pain that was lodged in her throat. Suddenly a shadow fell over her and Sailormoon looked up to see the skeletal monster standing mere feet from her.

When the monster leapt at her Sailormoon barely had time to realize she was trapped before she heard the whistling of something moving fast through the air. As if by magic, a single flawless, red rose appeared stabbing into the floor in front of the monster, stopping it in its tracks.

Once again the creature's head twisted around on it's neck, this time to look at the figure that darkened a window high up in the wall. "And who might you be?"

The man in the black tuxedo swept his cape before himself dramatically before speaking, "I am Tuxedo Mask. Sailormoon, look into your heart and find the warrior within you. It is your destiny!"

Sailormoon stared at the man, slack-jawed. Just who did this guy think he was, showing up and telling her what to do.

"Sailormoon," Luna whispered urgently, while the monster was distracted, "Throw your tiara."

"What?" Sailormoon asked in disbelief, without taking her eyes off her adversary.

"Throw your tiara and say 'Moon Tiara Magic'," Luna insisted.

Since it was the only option open to her with a twisted ankle, Sailormoon decided to try it.

Pulling the tiara off and holding it in her right hand she began to whisper the words.

"Moon." The tiara began to glow.

"Tiara." The tiara was no longer a tiara but rather a glowing disk that spun over her fingertips.

"Magic." With the last word she threw the tiara turned discus and her aim was true. It hit the monster in the stomach and the monster let out a screech of pain. The grating sound was cut off as the monster turned to dust that piled unto the floor. The discus then returned to Sailormoon's hand and was once again a tiara, which she slipped back on.

The silence that followed was interrupted by Tuxedo Mask. "You did well Sailormoon. All the ladies are free. Others will test you. Do not be afraid. I will fight with you." With his final word said Tuxedo Mask turned and jumped from the window sill, disappearing from sight.

"Are you alright?" Luna asked when Sailormoon remained silent after Tuxedo Mask had left.

"You know what Luna? That man is extremely annoying." Without waiting for Luna to respond Sailormoon got to her feet, favoring her twisted ankle, and made her way out of the store.

Luna followed close behind.


	2. Please Say it was a Dream

First off, I do not own Sailor Moon.

Second off, Thank you to those who reviewed. It helped a lot.

I realize that the first chapter was a copy of the first episode but it was merely a starting point for the story. Hopefully this idea will become its own tale, only using some of the episodes from the first season as stepping stones.

I guess I should add in here that the rating for this story may change in the future. I'm still debating on what Ryan and Darien's relationship is going to be. I guess we will see when we get there.

Anywho… on with the show.

Chapter 2 - Please Say it Was a Dream

The next morning dawned clear and bright. Sun shown down through Ryan's bedroom window but, since it was Saturday, that bit of light was not enough to wake him. In fact, nothing short of world disaster would wake the boy until he was good and ready to roll out of bed. 

Slowly Ryan pulled himself to the surface of consciousness. As he woke he found a thought nagging at his mind. Something had happened last night, but he was still more than half asleep so the memory was vague. 

Details came to him slowly. 

"Damn talking cats," he mumbled, digging his knuckles into his eyes.

A moment of thought and he added, "Damn stupid dreams."

Still bleary eyed he rolled out of bed, pulling the blankets with him. He didn't notice the strange weight in the blanket until there was a thump as something hit the floor.

A high-pitched meow, whether it was caused by shock or pain Ryan couldn't be sure, sounded from the lump.

"Please be more careful. That is not the most pleasant way to wake up," the lump spoke.

Ryan felt his knees go weak and he sat back on the bed. A black cat made her way out from under the blankets and jumped up beside him.

Luna licked a paw, running it over her ears before looking up at Ryan. "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Forgot what?" Ryan whispered.

But he didn't have to be told. Memories of his dream were coming back to him. Only, it hadn't been a dream after all.

"Did I really turn into a girl?" he asked when Luna just continued to stare at him.

"Yes you did," she said. "And trust me, it was as much of a shock to me as it was to you."

Crossing his arms over his chest, hugging himself, Ryan bestowed a doubtful look on the feline. "How is that possible. It didn't happen to you. I've only just started to get seriously interested in girls, I can't be turning into one."

Luna took a step, closing the gap between them. Rubbing her head against his arm in comfort she purred, "I'm sorry. If there was a way I could change the magic I would. But Sailormoon is female, and I guess there is no way around that."

Hesitantly a hand crept out to scratch Luna along her neck. "But, if Sailormoon is female, then how did you figure out I was supposed to be her?"

"The same way you knew where to go to help Molly last night."

"But I don't know how I knew that."

"Exactly."

Silence filled the room, broken only by Luna's purring as Ryan continued to stroke her fur. Light glinted off the watch that wasn't a watch, drawing his attention to it. Starring at it, he sighed. "Is there anyway to take it all back?"

"I don't think so," Luna said, her purring coming to a stop. "The watch, and the power with it, is yours now. You can choose to ignore it, but…"

She trailed off and Ryan picked up the thought. "But I can't. What if Molly, or someone else I care about, were to be attacked again. I couldn't just stand by and watch. I have to do something. I just hope I don't have to do it often. Turning into a girl felt…"

"Wrong?" Luna supplied.

Ryan nodded, but only to indicate he heard her not to agree. While it hadn't felt wrong, it didn't feel right either. It had been more like it was comfortable. Like being in that form had been the natural state of things. With a shake of his head Ryan chased away that thought. What was he thinking? That being female was natural to him? 

Determined not to ruin his weekend with worrying about the state of his sanity, Ryan pushed all thoughts from his mind. Best way to do that was to head over to the arcade. A good video game was exactly what he needed right now. That and a chocolate sundae. 

Soon Ryan was out of the house, walking towards the arcade. Despite his intentions to not think about last night one thing was bothering him. Okay, many things were bothering him but one was actually answerable.

"Do you know what the Negaverse is?" he asked Luna, who was currently riding on his shoulder.

Luna was silent a moment before answering, gathering her thoughts. "Not completely," she answered truthfully. "Only that it is evil. They suck the energy out of things to survive. And it seems that they have decided that humans are a good source of energy."

That answered one question, but set about half a dozen more flitting through Ryan's mind. Before he could voice any of them though, he heard someone calling his name. He turned around to see Molly running down the street toward him.

"Hey Molly."

"Ryan!" she exclaimed, "You would not believe the dream I had last night. There was this horrible monster in the jewelry store and it captured my mom and me. Then this girl showed up in a sailor suit. She called herself Sailor Moon. She rescued us with the help of this tall, handsome man in a tuxedo. She was awesome."

All earlier doubts about being a female superhero were momentarily forgotten as Ryan smiled. He could help but think, _"She thinks I'm awesome." _Out loud he said, "Was she hot?"

Molly laughed. "Ryan, you are such a guy."

"But you love me this way."

Molly shoved Ryan, sending him stumbling across the sidewalk and sending them both into peals of laughter. It was a common argument between them and one that never failed to make them smile.

"Going to the arcade?" Molly asked when they had caught their breath.

Ryan nodded.

"Well," Molly smiled innocently, "You're just about to walk right on by."

Stopping, Ryan looked around in confusion. Apparently he had made it to his destination without realizing it.

The look on Ryan's face brought more laughter to Molly's lips and she was chuckling as she entered the hang out.

Ryan entered the Crown Arcade behind Molly and watched her make a beeline for the counter, and not incidentally, the waiter, Andrew. Deciding that joining her would probably not be the best of ideas at the moment Ryan made his own way over to the Sailor V video game console.

He had been playing for about fifteen minutes, and going very well towards between his best score, when a memory hit him. "Well, isn't that ironic," he quoted the popular song. Pausing the game, he leaned back in his chair and studied the miniature super-heroine on the screen. Just yesterday he could remember making a comment along the lines of, _"If I were to fight evil I would definitely not do it in an outfit like that." _Suddenly no longer in the mood to play the game anymore he decided it was probably safe now to join Molly and Andrew at the counter.

Ryan found Molly with an ice cream cone and a goofy smile on her face.

"Hello space cadet," Ryan said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Grow up," was the only response she would give him, and she said it without taking her eyes off Andrew.

Shaking his head Ryan turned his attention from one friend to another. "Hey Andrew."

"Ryan, hey," Andrew looked up from wiping down the counter. "Usual?"

Nodding, blond bangs falling into his eyes, Ryan settled himself onto a stool.

A moment later, Andrew set an ice cream bowl down in front of him. "One double chocolate cookie dough fudge sundae."

Ryan smiled his thanks, and then dug in.

Someone a few seats down chuckled. "I didn't realize your were serving my creation as a menu item now, Andrew."

"Sorry Darien. He came up with it first."

Ryan looked over to see who the speaker was. Though he was vaguely familiar, Ryan couldn't place where he had seen the man before. His next words familiarized Ryan's memory.

Darien turned to him when Andrew moved on to serve another customer. "So, has your aim improved any?"

Ryan blushed, shrugging to hide it. "Unfortunately, no. The test was still in my pocket when Mom asked to see it."

"Bad, huh."

At that point Andrew returned and just had to put in his two cents. "All the tests are bad. Smart kid but never ever studies."

Ryan scowled, "Shut up Andrew."

Andrew was not in the least bothered. In fact, he started to smile. "Hey Darien. You've been saying your bored lately. And you're great in school. Why don't you tutor Ryan?"

The ice cream in Ryan's bowl suddenly became the target of all Ryan's attention. Though not much was eaten, mostly it turned to mush, and then melted, as he repeatedly stabbed his spoon at it.

"Do you need a tutor?" he heard Darien ask him.

"No," he grumbled, wishing he didn't have so much pride. The he thought of the look on his mom's face when he had shown her his last test. Swallowing his pride he amended, "Actually, yeah, I do."

"Do you want a tutor?"

"Not really, but if your willing. I'll warn you now, it's hopeless."

"We'll see. Here tomorrow? Say, around one?"

"Sure," Ryan couldn't help but grumble.

Darien got up to leave. "See you tomorrow then."

Ryan continued to stab at his ice cream until he heard the jingle that announced the opening and closing of the doors. Then he shifted his grip on the spoon and moved to stab Andrew with it.

"Hey!" Andrew exclaimed. "I was just trying to help."

"Don't help anymore. You just embarrass me."

"Well, you do need help."

Ryan was about to argue that fact when Molly's sigh interrupted him. Turning he saw that she was watching the doors Darien had just left through.

"And you get to spend all afternoon with him." She sighed again.

Staring at her in disbelief Ryan couldn't help but say, "Molly, you are such a girl."


	3. Friends and Responsibilities

Chapter 3 - Friends and Responsibilities

Ryan was running late, as usual. It wasn't his fault though, not really. After all, it was Sunday, and Sunday was a day to sleep in. The fact that he had stayed up late playing his new video game had nothing to do with it. At least that was what he kept telling himself.

The fact that Luna had followed him the whole way, insisting that it was his fault wasn't helping. 

"This can't keep happening Ryan," Luna said from where she ran at his feet. "How can I count on you to fight the Negaverse and find the Moon Princess when you have a hard time just being punctual?"

"Moon Princess?" Ryan asked in confusion, almost tripping over the small cat.

Luna hissed softly. "I thought you said you were listening to me last night while you played that infernal game."

Oh yeah, Ryan remembered now. He had been playing his new video game and Luna had been going on about the destiny of Sailor Moon and how he had to find the Moon Princess, the person he was sworn to protect.

"I remember some of it. But you were talking during a really tough part. It's not my fault I tuned you out."

The jingling of the arcade doors prevented Luna's response. Leaving her outside, he entered the arcade. As he walked in, he glanced up at the clock. One-fifteen.

Not as late as he had thought but definitely not a good first impression.

Making his way over to the counter he saw Darien talking to Andrew. Andrew saw him first.

"Speak of the devil," he said as Ryan set his books on the counter and climbed onto a stool.

Ryan bristled at the remark. He hated knowing that people had been talking about him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead of answering, Andrew just shook his head, chuckled, and walked away to serve a costumer. Ryan turned to Darien, expecting the answer from him.

Darien looked at the books on the table. "Obviously you have a lot to study. You think you would have been here on time so you could get it over and done with."

Ryan's mouth dropped open. The words that had just been said left him speechless, and oddly, left him feeling worse than all his mother's ranting, raving and hysterics. He clamped his jaw shut as anger replaced the hurt so fast that the hurt was quickly forgotten. "Nobody asked you to be here," he snapped.

"You're right, nobody asked me to be here," Darien agreed. "I'm here out of the kindness of my heart."

"What heart?" Andrew called from down the counter.

Darien glared at the blond waiter. Ryan couldn't contain a smirk, which Darien saw when he turned back around.

"What are you laughing about?" he asked, though the words weren't harsh.

"Nothing," Ryan assured, smirk still in place.

"Fine."

To change the subject and get them back on track Darien pulled one of the books out of the small pile. "Since you just failed that algebra test and are going to have to do a make-up, we may as well start with studying that."

Darien watched as Ryan tried the twentieth question of the afternoon. At first, he had been angry. The kid had been late after all. And he did have his own studying to do, his own life to live. He was giving up his free time to tutor the kid, who couldn't even bother to show up on time. But even as he had ticked off his reasons for being angry, his logical mind was rejecting each and every one. Like, what studying? His grades were already within the ninety-five percentile. Also, what life? What free time?

It was Sunday, there was no school and he didn't have to work. He would have been at the arcade anyway, passing the time visiting with Andrew between customers.

He had finally had to admit that he was angry because for some reason he had expected more from the kid. 

Ryan finished the question and looked at it; he knew it was wrong but hell if he couldn't figure out how. How 3+X(9+4) was supposed to equal 55 he didn't have the slightest clue.

"Darien," he turned to show the man beside him the question and found that Darien wasn't paying any attention to him but rather was staring at the counter top as if the secret for turning lead to gold was engraved in it. "Darien!" he repeated.

This time Darien's head shot up and he looked over at Ryan with an almost guilty look on his face. "Sorry. I got to thinking."

"Hope it didn't hurt too much," Ryan said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he gasped and started to apologize for being so rude.

Darien finally smiled for the first time that afternoon, "Don't worry about it. It only stung a little bit."

It took Ryan a moment to realize what Darien had said. When he did realize that Darien wasn't offended he smiled and pushed the question over for Darien's inspection. Darien quickly had the question sorted out, showing Ryan that it did indeed work. And Ryan found that he was even starting to understand how. At that point, he looked up at the clock. 

"Five-thirty!" he choked on the words. "Mom is going to kill me! She said supper at five! Sorry Darien, gotta go." Ryan was packing up his books even as he was apologizing. He was almost out the door when Darien's voice stopped him. 

"Tomorrow after school?"

"Sure," Ryan agreed, and then bolted home.

Home was not a pleasant place to be. The run home had taken too long. He was almost an hour late for supper and the dishes had already been cleared from the table. Worse yet, his mother wouldn't believe he had been studying. 

"Studying! You were at the arcade and you expect me to believe you were studying! No supper for being late. In your room studying for the rest of the night for lying. Go!" Ilene left no room for argument, standing at the bottom of the stairs pointing up to Ryan's room.

An hour later found Ryan sitting at his desk, leaning over his books.

Luna paced behind him, talking about something, but he didn't hear a word.

His mind had wandered away from both her and his books, back to the arcade. Something was bothering him about the afternoon, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Absently he chewed on his pencil, eyes glazed over in thought. As far away as he was he noticed too late that Luna had jumped up onto the table.

With a cry of alarm, he flung an arm over his books, but not before Luna saw the comic book hidden inside the math text.

"Comics!" the feline exclaimed. "Ryan, you know you should be studying."

Glaring at her, Ryan deliberately went back to reading the comic.

"Ryan, have you been listening to a word I've said?"

"You know I studied all afternoon. Why are you so mad at me now?" he asked without looking up.

"One afternoon of studying is not going to improve your grade. You have to start taking things seriously Ryan. You have more responsibilities now. If you can't handle your homework than how are you going to handle the Negaverse and…"

"Finding the Moon Princess," Ryan intoned in unison with Luna.

"Could you at least modify the speech, so I'm not getting the same lecture yelled at me twice a day?" Getting up from the desk, Ryan began to ready himself for bed. Determined to ignore anything else Luna had to say.

"It is you destiny, your duty, and you must accept it."

Ryan felt his shoulders stiffen. He didn't want to react, but it had been a long day, with first Darien, then his mother and now Luna harping at him. "It isn't always about duty Luna. And destiny is a crock. Right now, it is about doing what everyone else wants me to do without any regards to what I want to do. So don't give me that crap that this is about duty, destiny or responsibility."

Turning off the overhead light he crawled into bed by the light of the moon streaming through his window. Once there he pulled the comforter over his head, hoping that Luna would leave it at that.

It wasn't fair, the voice in his head whined. His mother didn't trust him to study. Luna didn't trust him to handle being Sailor Moon. And Darien, what did Darien want from him? And why did he care so much what the older man thought. So what if he was older, and cooler, and had a hot car and his own life. So what if for some reason he cared what happened to some junior high kid. 

Who cares what any of them think anyways.

They don't know what it's like. It's bad enough that he had to deal with all the normal teenage problems. He was supposed to be a hero too. 

Maybe that part isn't so bad, he had to admit. But I don't want to turn into a girl.

That last thought in his mind as he fell asleep was that. And it carried itself into his dreams, causing him to toss and turn for the entirety of the night. 


	4. Tuna Fish and Field Mouse Pudding

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A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I have been spending way to much time at work lately. Anyway, here is the next (short) chapter. Please review, the inspiration will help me get the next chapter up sooner. Thanx for reading. Blessed be

Chapter Four - Tuna Fish and Field Mouse Pudding

Luna took one last look at the boy fighting with his blankets, then turned and leapt gracefully from the windowsill to a nearby tree branch. She had an appointment to keep and not even her worries for her young charge could keep her from them.

Keeping to the rooftops, she made her way into town. Making her destination, she slowed to a halt. With a quick look around at the nearby windows to be sure no one was watching her, she opened the loose panel over the ventilation shaft and entered the building.

Once inside she made her way towards and then jumped up onto the seat usually occupied by Ryan when he came to the Crown Arcade. A sensor in the game picked up her presence and the screen lit up, throwing dancing patterns of light across the cat's black coat. A computerized voice began to speak.

"Welcome to Sailor V's Video Challenge. Touch the screen if you wish to continue."

Instead of doing as the voice suggested, Luna spoke. "This is Luna. I'm checking in for my new instructions."

"Give me your password for voice check."

"I love tuna fish and field mouse pudding."

"Voice check complete."

Now the lights flashing across the screen stilled, forming the picture of a crescent moon against the night sky. The voice changed as well, becoming less digitalized, though it remained layered, keeping it impossible to tell if the speaker was male or female.

"What do you have to report, Luna?"

Luna shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Something has gone terribly wrong."

"Do you refer to the fact that Sailor Moon was reborn into this life as a male?"

Luna bit her tongue to hold back a sarcastic remark. A deep breath and she was able to speak. "Of course that is what I refer to." She stood and started to pace the seat of her chair. "But we have to be wrong. Some mistake must have been made. The stress caused by the gender change is too much for him."

"Are you suggesting that Ryan is not strong enough to live up to his destiny?"

Luna stopped abruptly to stare at the screen she was conversing with. "No! He is more than strong enough. He just had to learn that he is."

"Then teach him."

If only it were that simple, she thought to herself. After a moment she voice that sentiment aloud, "It isn't that simple."

"Is the problem with you then? Can you not handle this chain of events?"

The hair between Luna's shoulder blades stood up in agitation. "I can handle it just fine!"

"Then bring it up no more. Now, key in your access code. We have new reconnaissance information for you to investigate."

The small black cat did not move, except for the frustrated twitch of her tail. She wanted to argue. Whoever was on the other end of this infernal machine just did not understand the situation. Instinctually she wanted to hiss, spit, and scratch until it was understood, but intellectually she knew it would have no effect. Finally, she keyed in her code, using sharp jabs of her claws that was all she would allow of her temper.

It only took a moment and a photograph appeared in place of the crescent moon. It featured a young girl about Ryan's age with short, blue hair, wearing a school uniform.

"Who's this?" Her anger was pushed aside as her curiosity was stirred. 

"A new student at Ryan's school. We sense something about her."

"Negaverse?" The tension returned to her voice and shoulders, this time from fear.

"We think this is a definite possibility. You must determine if we are correct."

"Got it."

Before Luna could ask any further questions, the screen went dark, leaving her in shadows. Determined to inform Ryan of this new development immediately Luna left the arcade and made her way toward home.


End file.
